On Wednesday, it was reported that the Miami Heat landed Andre Iguodala from the Memphis Grizzlies.
While the trade will help the Heat’s quest for their fourth NBA championship this spring, there’s another benefit it may provide down the road.
With a team-option for the 2021-22 season, Iguodala is allowing the Heat to keep salary cap flexibility for free agency, league sources tell ESPN. If Miami misses on recruiting a max star, the plan would be for Miami to guarantee that season's $15M, per sources.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2020
Upon being acquired by Miami, Iguodala promptly agreed to a two-year, $30 million extension with his new team.
As of now, the crown jewel of the 2021 free agent market is slated to be Giannis Antetokounmpo, the reigning league MVP. He can opt out of his contract that summer, and has yet to give the Milwaukee Bucks any indication of whether he intends to do so.
Other headlining members of that free agent class could include LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
The Heat have already been aggressive in looking to pair Jimmy Butler with another star in recent months.
Last summer, they attempted to acquire Chris Paul from the Houston Rockets. They have also been linked to Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards, although all indications point to him remaining in Washington for the foreseeable future.
